Executive Mentoring does differ from Coaching
Coaching is focused on addressing specific development needs. Often these are oriented around skill-sets. Coaching can also include the development of coaching as a leadership style.
Mentoring, on the other hand, provides guidance and direction in how to think about business issues, and competitiveness by using an exchange of experiences and scenarios that look at issues strategically.
However, mentoring and coaching are also frequently referred to interchangeably and appropriately overlap in the following areas to achieve the desired outcome sought by you and the needs of the business:
- both require trust and commitment in the process and substantial interpersonal skills from coach and mentor
- both aim for the individual to increase his or her effectiveness and apply it to the tasks at hand in a positive manner
- both encourage stretch and provide support and challenge in pursuit of this
- both assume some understanding of the director context – the issues and concerns of directors and the purpose and responsibility of directorship
- both focus on learning and development – sometimes defined as nominating coaching from a skill-base and mentoring from an experience-base
- both can include career guidance to review career goals and capabilities or a focus on the future of the business being driven by you
- both involve an exchange of life and career experiences
- both are collaborative alliances between client and mentor or coach
Although there is overlap, there are some distinct differences in the process and required outcomes. Given this, we offer you these definitions for your information.
Think of Executive Coaching as:
Working with Executives to enhance their leadership effectiveness, performance and career progression within a specific organizational context. This may include development and integration of specific mindsets and behaviours as well as a focus on identified requirements needed for the application of capability. Ideally, the coach brings not only an enhanced range of skill-sets that can be tapped but more importantly aims to transform the mindset with new issue-specific perspectives. It is more instructional in focus.
Think of Business Mentoring for Executives as:
Guidance and direction from an experienced person such that the individual is challenged to explore and integrate new perspectives. Mentoring is aimed at the individual achieving their full potential in their career and includes guidance and advice on specific business challenges, including strategy and policy. Ideally, your mentor should have broad useful experience and the ability to share that with you at a practical and pragmatic level that is goal-directed and which you can adapt and apply to your own strategic business success. It is more “shared experience” in focus.
Now let’s read on to see how you may be able to assess what’s right for you.